Blue Ridge Mtns & the Smoky Mtns

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RV & VR & Annamarie Mille High in the Smokys

RV & VR entering the Blue Ridge Pkwy

While in  Lenoir we took a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  How many times can one say beautiful.? ?  I suppose I could look in the Thesaurus!
 After leaving Lenoir, S.C., we travelled to the Great Smoky Mtns.  The Big Green Turtle took the mountains well!  We stayed with the National Park Service.  There are no hook ups, which means we become self-sufficient.  Our  tanks hold water, grey water & black water.  We have solar panels on the Big Green Turtle which provides our electric.
 I have advocated solar for many years.  We installed a solar hot water heater, in our stick home, and it heats our 20' x 20' family room with the most even heat you could want!
Just down the road from the Nationa Park Campground is an old Grist Mill.

Old Grist Mill grinding stones

There is an old 'grist mill' down the road.  It was very interesting to see the sloth and the size of the stones used to grind the grain  I had read about them. Seeing it is another.

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RV & VR behind the grist mill
 The Gist Mill

Catching up .Winnery..Smoky Mtns

I am a sweet wine liker. gr Usually, I never can taste all the different flavors that winemakers say they have in their wines. I can now taste oak, not my favorite.

We have been to many wineries on our trips. Last year in Cortez, Co. we found Guy Drew and went back there several times.  There is also a Rum maker there..unfortunately I forgot the name, he makes good rum.
We have stopped at Jefferson Wineries, as in Thomas Jefferson, and they were all to dry for my taste.
Outside of Winston Salem, at the Childress Winery, we found some nice wine and even a Red that I liked.
While we were in Lenoir, S.C. we were going to a winery that advertised they made their wines from local wild grapes. They were not open, so we went into the town and found the Carolina Mist Winery, 126 Mulberry St. N.W..  OMG, I liked all the wines they make.  All the whites and all the Reds..so did my daughter,husband and friend who was visitiing with us. We walked out with 5 cases between the 4 of us.  They do not grow the grapes, although, the winemaker Edward Campbell would like too .his wife, Carolyn dosen't ..he is in his 70s'.  Campbell_howard@msn.com 828-754-4660

While there,  Keith Nordan, the guy next door makes Brandy.. I have never ever liked  Brandy.. I would have bought it in a heartbeat.. Carolina Distillery Carriage House Apple Brandy, makes this wonderful Applle pie brandy carolinadistillery@gmail.com  828-499-3095. It would taste so nice on a cool night in the mountains.. I guess they would say it was 'moonshine country' and they know what they are doing.

Great Smokys

Great Smoky.. in the wrong place but I haven't figured out how to move them

So we left Lenoir and the Blue Ridge Mtns and headed for the Great Smoky Mtns.  We stopped at the National Forest, no hookups.  This is Cherokee country ad a big big tourist area.  This is not the time of year to be visiting, very humid.. but in the mountains under the canopy of trees it cools off.. not much. but some.  The mountains are very, very beautiful.It does, indeed, look like smoke in the mountains.  I was taking pictures of the Appalachian Trail ( I have walked on it in Vt. N.Y., N.J. S.C. Va.and now Tn.) and a lady, very seriously, asked me if it was really SMOKE! in the mountains.!! I did tell her no. 

Appotmattox Court house

<>McLean House where Lee surrenders to Grant<>

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McClean House at Appotmatx

Hicory & Granite Falls of S.C.

When I worked for American Airlines passengers would tell me about this area of S.C. to go shopping for furniture.  Well I had forgotten.
This area of the country is where 60% of our furniture is made! 
We went to the furniture outlets just to look.  It almost made me want to be back in a stick & brick house.  The furniture was beautiful.  Designs and quality I had not seen at our local furniture stores.   I am sure that before the economy tanked the prices were better, there are however, still some good buys.  One can see all the closed outlet stores.
I have not been able to find discount RV furniture of good quality.
I am fortunate in that my husband is a cabinetmaker and can make the work area we need in our rv.  I would however like the new sofa that I have seen in the Winnebagos'. I'm still looking.

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waiting to hear General Washington!
Colonial Willliamsburg pictures

Colonial Williamsburg

annonuncing the general

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House of Burgess

Lenoir, N.C.

Whew, the humidity is thick.  Took a nice 2 mile walk inside the park.  I wish there were some mountain trails to walk on!

Went into the city of Lenoir yesterday.  The older part of the city looks so empty.  It is just like other cities that have empty store fronts.  It is so sad to see.
Outside the city proper newer stores, Lowes, Wal-mart, big lots, dollar store are all over the place.  I think we, U.S. citizens, have lost our indiviualty.
What makes this part of the country different from others?
Food cost more here, housing less.  I guess thats the trade-off. 

Still learnning

I am trying to edit posts and put up the pictures that go with them.  However, I am having trouble so here are pictures of our trip and I will try to put them in order.

Medina Lake TT campground you don't have to worry about dog poop deer poop is all over  YUK!

don't remeber where

I beleive this is in Arley, TT campground